Combination fire extinguisher, ash tray and refuse receptacle



Sept. 6, 1960 c. T. AGEE 2,951,488

COMBINATION FIRE EXTINGUISHER, ASH TRAY AND REFUSE RECEPTACLE Filed April 7, 1959 2 44 wi /9Z4 52 1 Char/es 7. Agee Z /2 ZNVENTOR.

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United States Patent Dfi ice 2,951,488 Patented Sept. 6, 1960 COMBINATION FIRE EXTINGUISHER, ASH TRAY AND REFUSE RECEPTACLE Charles T. Agee, 303 S. Palisades Drive, Signal Mountain, Tenn.

Filed Apr. 7, 1959, Ser. No. 804,725

2 Claims. (Cl. 131-256) This invention relates to a fire extinguisher for cigarettes and cigars.

An object of the invention is to provide a fire extinguishing device which is efiective in serving its intended purpose of extinguishing cigars and cigarettes and which does so while eliminating unpleasant odors and tarry substances ordinarily found as a by-product of extinguishing cigars and cigarettes principally the latter.

When a cigarette comes in contact with the side wall of a port, for instance an extinguishing port, cigarettes leave a tarry substance to which the cigarettes very often cling and do not fall through to the bottom. This invention very materially improves such ports by the inclusion of a papier-mache insert which prevents this condition. The papier-mache insert eliminates sweating which has been the outstanding fault of previous cigarette extinguishing devices using ports for smothering the lighted end of the cigarette.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel extinguisher block which has one or more improved ports therein for quickly extinguishing the lighted end of a cigarette with a minimum of and in fact with essentially the complete elimination of the accumulation of tarry substance on the metallic or glass or plastic side walls of the port. The block in accordance with this invention has one or more ports the lower ends of which are closed by a shuttle. When the cigarette becomes extinguished by inserting in the port or ports available in the block, the cigarette butt, loose ashes, etc. are permitted to drop into a receptacle by actuation of the shuttle. This temporarily opens the bottoms of the ports so that the above mentioned refuse may drop into the receptacle.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a typical device construoted to exemplify the invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the block in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of the top part of the assembly in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a horizontal cross sectional view of the block in Figure 2, taken substantially in the plane of the shuttle.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view similar to Figure 4 but showing the shuttle in the port opening position.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a papier-mache insert used in one of the ports.

In the accompanying drawing there is shown a combination fire extinguisher, ash tray and refuse receptacle 10, the assembly exemplifying one embodiment of the invention. Receptacle 12 of the assembly opens upwardly so that tray 14 may be attached thereto, for instance by a split or sectional thread forming a simple, practical connection 16. Tray 14 has a bottom 18, and

a side wall 20 connected to the bottom. An annular ridge 22 rises from bottom 18 and has a number of projections 24 approximately parallel to each other and cooperating with the edge of tray 14 to form a cigarette rest (Fig. 1).

An important part of the invention is in fire extinguisher block 28. It consists of a body or block attached or otherwise connected to rib 22 and having one or more ports, for example a pair of ports 30 and 32 which are identical in construction. The ports have outwardly flared inlets to facilitate insertion of a cigarette.

The lower portions of the illustrated ports 30 and 32 have short inwardly directed ribs 34, the ribs extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the elongate ports. These ribs center papier-mache inserts 36 and 38, which are identical (Fig. 6). The papier-mache inserts are cylindrical and fit snugly Within the annular undercut portions 40 and 42 of the passages. Accordingly, the bores of the inserts are in alignment with the side walls of the entrance portions of the ports. Although papier-mache is specified, it is to be clearly understood that a substitute material may be used, and the constituent of the papiermache may be a fireproof paper such as asbestos or other fireproof substance. Regardless of the material of construction, it is preferred that the papier-mache inserts terminate vertically above the shuttle 44.

Shuttle 44 is a flat plate, and the normal position of the shuttle is directly beneath the open ended inserts 36 and 38. The edges of the shuttle are bevelled (Fig; 2) and fit within tracks 46 formed in the side walls of the block immediately above the bottom wall 48 thereof. The bottom wall has a pair of apertures and 52 divided by spacer 54in which to accommodate bolt 56. The bolt passes through an aperture in divider'54, a slot 58 in shuttle 44 and enters the portion of the block in between ports 30 and 32. Bolt 56 functions as a guide for the shuttle 44, and there is an extended handle 60 on the shuttle by which to manually push the shuttle.

As shown by a comparison of Figures 4 and 5, the normal position of the shuttle is at the place where the apertures 50 and 52 are covered. Spring 62 is attached to the shuttle and attached to the bolt 56. The bias of the spring is in a direction tending to hold the shuttle 44 in the aperture closing position. However, when the handle 60 is pushed, the entire shuttle moves inwardly of the block and uncovers apertures 52 and 50, as seen in Fig. 5. When the handle 60 is released, the spring 62 pulls the shuttle to the port covering position as seen in Fig. 4.

In use, a cigarette is inserted in one of the ports, for instance in the port 39 as shown in Figure 1. The port 30 smothers the lit part of the cigarette thereby extinguishing it. However, the sweating and tarry subtance product thereof does not adhere the cigarette to the side walls of the port. The papier-mache insert discourages sweating and therefore tends to reduce the accumulation of tarry substance therein. As soon as the cigarette has :been inserted or substantially as soon as it has been inserted in port 30, the shuttle 44 may be operated as aforesaid, enabling the cigarette butt, ashes, etc. to be dropped through port 52 and enter receptacle 12.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In an ash tray, a fire extinguisher block having an elongate port, said port containing an entrance to facilitate receiving the lighted end of a cigarette, said port having a side wall with an undercut portion of cylindrical form, an insert of paper-like material in said undercut portion of said port, and a plurality of ribs disposed in said undercut portion and terminating inwardly of the side wall of said elongate port and adapted to bear against the outer surface of said liner to aid in retention of the insert within the elongate port.

2. In a cigarette extinguishing block having an elongate port, a plurality of ribs in said port, a non-metallic cylindrical insert in said port and bearing against said ribs to hold said insert in alignment with the entrance of said port, and said insert being in the region of the port within which the cigarette lighted end is inserted.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Stockton Jan. 11, 1927 Osborn Dec. 7, 1937 Tom Mar. 5, 1940 Agee Sept. 26, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Dec. 4, 1934 

